By Gabe Tschida Thursday, February 27th, 2020 March is marching in, the ides of March, when the saints come marching in, in like a lion out like a lamb whatever March Madness.  March is here and Spring is coming.  March is one of my favorite months, the snow is melting, birds begin to return from down south, plants begin to awaken from their slumber, I didn’t freeze to death, and it’s a great time to trim Oaks and Elms!  March is a really good time to do removals if the ground is still hard from being frozen. 

March is a great time to trim and remove trees.  During March we spend a lot of days trimming Oak trees.  If the warming trend continues, we will be done trimming Oaks on April 1st.  Trimming Oak trees in the months of April, May and June should be avoided.  As plants and insects start to become active again, so does the Oak Wilt Fungus.  Oak Wilt is a fungus that is highly lethal to Red and Pin Oaks in Minnesota.  It is also deadly to White and Burr Oak, but to a lesser extent.  If getting the Oak trees on your property trimmed is something that you want done this year, you have about a month to get it taken care of, or you’re going to have to wait until fall 2020.  

Elm trees should also be trimmed this time of year.  Dutch Elm Disease is caused by a fungus and has killed hundreds of thousands of Elms in Minneapolis and St. Paul alone.  I remember when I was a kid in the 80’s going down the Elm lined boulevards.  Those are gone, but many Elms still survive today.  If you have one that needs to be trimmed, you have a month to get it done. Otherwise you’ll have to wait until the fall or put your tree at undue risk for contracting this lethal disease.  Like Oaks, Elms should not be trimmed during the months of April through June.  That’s when the fungus is being spread and cutting an Elm tree during this time is like ringing a dinner bell for the Elm Bark Beetle.  

Another thing I love about March is that the ground is still hard from being frozen…usually.  Frozen ground allows us to remove trees from sensitive landscapes like turf without damaging them.  Having a tree removed usually requires heavy equipment and large trucks on the lawn. It can also result in heavy pieces of wood hitting the lawn and making dents in it.  However, frozen ground is very hard and allows us to do our job faster, saving you money.  

Finally, no tree blog would be complete without some safety tips.  Spring is coming, and you may have the urge to do some tree work.  Please remember that this business has about 15 fatalities each month and many more life changing injuries.  People are cut, crushed, electrocuted, and maimed everyday working on trees.  If you are not a trained professional, please call a tree service.  It’s much more pleasant than calling 911 and cheaper than a funeral.